The world's best stopovers

JULIETTA JAMESON

Last updated 11:59 08/01/2013

HONG KONG: The gateway to China and a popular first-stop in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Southern Hemisphere travellers on the way to London and Europe are increasingly stopping in the Middle Eastern city of Dubai instead of Singapore, changing the way generations of Australasians have found their way to London and beyond.

But the south-east Asia stopover is far from a thing of the past, with a veritable squadron of airlines continuing the tradition of the two-flight trip to the Continent and Britain. And the potential for a stopover itself – breaking the journey with a night or two in a hub city – is actually greater than ever.

Flight Centre reports the number of passengers taking a quick stay in places such as Singapore and Hong Kong is on the up. South-east Asia tourism bodies report rises in visitor numbers from Australia (while not isolating stopover visitors from those travelling to their final destinations).

The huge upside of flying into Dubai and sharing the onward journey to Europe with Emirates is the vast growth in destinations on offer.

With that in mind, here's a guide – by no means a definitive one – of those flying it and the hubs through which they travel.

Changi International Airport, Singapore (SIN)

Best airport in south-east Asia. Lots of room, plenty of seats, awesome retail and loads of free entertainment such as massage chairs and cinema-screen sports viewing. Downside is the short leg on the way home – it's hard to get in a good rest.

Airline Singapore Airlines.

From Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, while SilkAir flies directly from Darwin to Singapore.

Codeshare British Airways codeshares with all oneworld member airlines, including Qantas, and has additional commercial agreements with Aer Lingus, Flybe, Loganair and Meridiana.

Alliance oneworld. Qantas is a oneworld member and can offer a one-ticket passage to Britain via Singapore with the second leg flown by British Airways.

Need to know Virgin Australia codeshares on Singapore Airlines flights from Adelaide, Perth and Darwin via Singapore to Europe. Starting in the first quarter of 2013, Virgin Australia will also codeshare on Singapore flights from Sydney,Melbourne and Brisbane via Singapore to Europe.

Stopover tip Arab Street.

The area around Sultan Mosque has long been a hub of carpet salesmen and fabric merchants and is always worth a stroll for good quality manchester on the cheap. But these days, it's also home to Singapore's unique, boutique fashion shopping, with little side street properties given over to teenage and twentysomething designer wares.

Alliance oneworld. Qantas is a oneworld member and flies to Hong Kong. It can offer one-ticket passage to Europe via Hong Kong with the second leg flown by Cathay Pacific (see destinations above).

Airline Virgin Atlantic.

Stopover tip Tsim Sha Promenade.

Walking the promenade is a stroll through Hong Kong's modern history. Start at the colonial-era clock tower, pass the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong Space Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Avenue of the Stars and on to Hung Hom. The promenade also gives spectacular views of the Hong Kong Island skyline.

Baiyun, Guangzhou Airport, China (CAN )

The anti-Changi. Not a lot to do, few facilities and little English signage. Online reviewers complain about a lack of cleanliness and friendliness as well as uncomfortable seats. But Guangzhou is the hub to watch in years to come.

Airline China Southern (Guangzhou or Old Canton in southern China is the airline's main hub. China Southern also operates via Beijing and western gateways Chongqing and Urumqi.)

To Amsterdam, Paris and London.

Alliance SkyTeam.

Stopover tip Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street.

This strip in Liwan District is more than 1200 metres of shopping. But it's the cultural showcase it affords that is so great. This is the home of Cantonese food and the restaurants along the street are cheap and fine.

Fun, friendly, full of stuff to do. The shopping is great at excellent prices and the airport flows well – just make sure you allow plenty of time to get to gates. It’s a sprawling facility. Bangkok Airport also boasts some excellent food options.

Home decorators and collectors: prepare to hyperventilate. This massive retail mecca is a warren of wholesalers, offering everything from jewellery to fish tanks at crazy cheap prices. It’s good quality stuff, too – a typical Bangkok knock-off market, this isn’t. If the urge to spend overwhelms, never fear: there are several bureaus on site that organise shipping, even by the container-full.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia (KLIA)

KLIA – Renowned for being efficient and friendly with great shopping, this is a clean, light and modern facility. There are free internet terminals, good kids’ play areas and the beautiful KLIA Jungle Boardwalk in the middle of the terminal, a rainforest attraction, great for getting a breath of fresh air.

Airline Malaysia Airlines.

To Amsterdam, Paris, London Heathrow and Frankfurt.

Alliance oneworld.

Stopover tip Islamic Arts Museum.

Come to KL for the shopping, stay for the culture. The Islamic Arts Museum has one of the finest collections of Islamic decorative arts in the world. Here you will find pottery, textiles, jewellery and the superb Ottoman room, a recreation of a golden time.

Incheon Airport, Seoul,Korea (ICN)

Not much to do if you don’t like to shop, but in addition to loads of electricals for sale, there’s free Wi-Fi, good showers and super efficient transfers in a well-planned setup.

Of the five palaces in Seoul, this is widely considered the best – and the one to visit if you can’t do the lot. Built in 1405, the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site is surrounded by a beautiful garden featuring centuries-old trees and a calming, hypnotic flow to its design. The garden was laid out to work with the landscape surrounding the castle.

Narita International, Tokyo, Japan (NRT)

No fuss, no stress, efficient and clean. One of Narita’s best features is the dayrooms, which have showers and beds, a great resource for resting during long connections. There is free internet throughout the terminal and terrific shopping, particularly for electronics andcosmetics.

Airline Japan Airlines.

To London (Heathrow), Moscow, Frankfurt, Paris and Helsinki (from February25).

Alliance oneworld.

Stopover tip Tsukiji Fish Market.

Eating sushi in Tokyo is a must-do. Some of the best is at Sushi Dai, at the Tsukiji fish market, or the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market in central Tokyo, from where much of the city’s fish is distributed. More than 400 kinds of seafood are sold here. Get to the market early to see the auctions.

Dubai International Airport (DBX)

Great for those who enjoy stepping over sleeping bodies during a walk to the gate that takes up to 15minutes, busy DXB always feels like the whole world has arrived at exactly the same time. The spectacular-looking T3 is set to open with the arrival of Qantas, so hopefully the overcrowded hostel vibe will be a thing of the past.

Huge upside going to Europe is the flight time carve-up: it’s a 14hour-plus long leg from Australia to Dubai, from where you can be in Rome in five and a half hours.

Airline Qantas to London (Heathrow). Codeshare with Emirates to destinations above.

Stopover tip Burj Al Arab. The sail-shaped structure cuts a beautiful figure on Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach shoreline but it’s inside the action really starts. One of Dubai’s most iconic addresses, it is home to ‘‘the only seven-star’’ (as the Dubai folk like to boast) hotel in the world. AlMahara, the spectacular underwater seafood restaurant, is also onsite.

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH)

Great duty free, but expensive food, limited seating and organisational issues for transferring passengers. Limited things to do, but free Wi-Fi is a plus.

Need to know Virgin Australia operates its own aircraft from Sydney to Abu Dhabi, connecting to Etihad Airways services to Europe. Virgin Australia also codeshares on Etihad Airways flights, which depart from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane via Abu Dhabi to Europe.

Stopover tip Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. The world’s largest indoor theme park is Disneyland for petrol heads. There are Ferrari roller-coasters, Ferrari dodgem cars, Junior GP and a mini Italy to whizz through in a mini vintage open-top sports car – all in that signature shade of red. Shop for Ferrari souvenirs, eat at a Ferrari-themed restaurant – you get the idea.